Air Pollution and Asthma

If your child has asthma, you probably
understand triggers — those things
that make your child's asthma symptoms worse, like cold
weather, pet dander, or being around
smoke. But poor air quality can also
trigger flare-ups, so it's important to know
how to take precautions.

How Does Air Quality Affect Asthma?

Pollutants in the air have the same effect on kids with asthma as other triggers.
They irritate the airways, making them swell and tighten up, and cause breathing problems.

Pollutants can also make kids more likely to catch upper respiratory infections
(like colds), which can bring on asthma symptoms.
If allergens in the air are an asthma trigger, pollutants can make the lungs even
more sensitive to them.

What Pollutants Affect Breathing?

You've probably heard about the ozone layer and how it protects us from the sun's
rays. But there's a different layer of ozone that’s closer to the ground called
ground-level ozone.

Ground-level ozone can harm the lungs. It forms when chemicals
from cars, power plants, and factories mix with sunlight. This "ozone pollution" is
a main part of smog — the brownish-yellow haze often seen hanging over cities
on the horizon. It's worse on warmer days or in warm parts of the country. Nearly
3.6 million kids with asthma live in towns or cities with very high levels of ground-level
ozone.

Particle pollution also can cause breathing problems. It's created
when tiny bits of dust, dirt, smoke, soot, and other stuff hang in the air. The smaller
the particles, the deeper they can get into the lungs and cause breathing problems.

How Can I Help My Child?

Check the Air Quality Index

If you live in an area with poor air quality, pay attention to pollution levels.
You can get daily information from weather reports (online or in the newspaper) or
by visiting the Environmental Protection Agency at www.airnow.gov.

The EPA's Air Quality Index (AQI) report measures the levels of:

ground-level ozone

particle pollution

carbon monoxide

sulfur dioxide

nitrogen dioxide

The AQI varies from season to season, from day to day, and even from morning to
evening. In cities with more than 350,000 people, state and local agencies are required
to report the index to the public daily. But many smaller communities also report
the AQI.

Other Tips

On days when air quality is poor, run the air conditioning and limit your child's
time outside. Plan any outdoor activities for early in the day — when air quality
tends to be better — and avoid spending time in areas with a lot of traffic.

If your child is in a sport that practices outside during hot weather, talk to
the coach about other arrangements, such as working out in an air-conditioned gym.
Also, make sure your child always has quick-relief
medicine on hand.

Improving the air quality in your home is also wise. You can do this by using an
air cleaner, venting all gas appliances to the outside, and avoiding wood fires in
your house.

Talk to your doctor about increasing medicine during times when air pollution is
high. This can be included as part of your child's asthma
action plan.

You can't single-handedly solve air pollution, but you can take these important
steps to help improve it when the air quality is poor:

Don't drive — share a ride, take public transportation, ride a bike, or
walk.